


Red Moonlight

by AzuRosey



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Camgirl, Coffee Shops, Drama & Romance, F/F, Gay Kurosawa Dia, Kurosawa Dia-centric, Loneliness, Other, Poor Kurosawa Dia, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:40:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22146577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AzuRosey/pseuds/AzuRosey
Summary: Dia Kurosawa, age 23, has moved far away from her family and its money to prove she can make it on her own. She finds it is more difficult than she thought. Yen is tight, loneliness surrounds her, and desperation chips at the edges of the proud young woman. Will she stand up and push back on the pressure? Or will she swallow her pride, and maybe discover something about herself along the way?
Relationships: Kazuno Sarah/Kurosawa Dia, Kunikida Hanamaru/Kurosawa Dia
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	1. Nostalgia

Dia Kurosawa missed her little sister. It was the only thing she could think about as she stared out her window into the rainy night from her apartment. It had been 2 years since she moved out of Uchiura up to Hakodate. Not having Ruby constantly at her side was still tough, but she was making it through it. Most days. A lot of the time, though, Dia just felt-

She sighed and stepped away from her bedroom window. She decided to head to the living room, maybe sit under the kotatsu and warm up. As she walked from her room to the hall, she passed a pair of framed pictures; one of all of Aquors, dressed up in their summer uniforms back at Uranohoshi; one of Saint Snow, dressed in their Believe Again costumes. 

It had been 5 years since that last Love Live, a wonderful time for her. One of the last truly happy memories she had of all her friends together. She wasn’t alone up here, of course, she had Sarah living with her and Leah close by too. Yet, something about the two of them and how close they were got her feeling-

Continuing on to the living room, she turned on the TV and plopped her legs under the kotatsu. She couldn’t help but let her mind wander to everything she’d been contemplating tonight. She missed home. She missed her family, her friends; Ruby and Hanamaru especially. 

She always loved thinking back on her high school days. Everything just seemed simpler back then. She still had Kanan and Mari, she got to do fun stuff with her friends... It always made her feel so happy, so nostalgic. But, lately, something else was tainting those memories. Something that made her feel so-

* * *

Dia was so wrapped up in thought that she didn’t even notice Sarah until she tapped her on the shoulder. Dia stiffened and shot straight up, sharply inhaling as she did.

As Dia stood from the kotatsu, Sarah asked, concern tinging her tired voice; “Are you alright, Dia-san? You’ve just been sitting there staring at the wall since I got home.”

Dia blinked, a weak expression washing across her face. She wondered just how long that actually was. She shook the look off her face and crossed her arms indignantly as she scolded, “Well, I may have been, but it wasn’t polite of you to interrupt me!”

“Polite?” Sarah scoffed. “I’m not trying to be polite, Dia-san, I’m worried about you. You seem so...

Lonely.

Dia seems taken aback. Apparently registering this as an admission of guilt, Sarah continues. “You should really get out and find some friends around town, or just call someone,” she continued. “You don’t have to sit around and wallow like this.”

“L-lonely? Me? Bu-buu, of course not!” Dia imitated a buzzer as she planted her hands on her hips. “I was just...” She paused for just a beat longer than she would’ve liked. “Thinking about Aquors! The old days! I’m not lonely at all!”

Eyebrow cocked and arms crossed, Sarah answered with an incredulous, “Of course you were. Just make sure you have rent ready tomorrow night, yes? We can’t be late again.” And with that, the purple-haired girl went to her bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Dia stood stunned in the living room for a while. Sarah typically wasn’t one to dismiss her like that. Had she done something wrong? She walked back to her own bedroom with a sigh. She really was just thinking about Aquors... Wasn’t she?

* * *

She rolled out her futon, changed into her pajamas, and got herself comfy before reaching for her phone. 11:24. None of her old friends would be up right now. Certainly not Ruby, her bedtime was a good 2 and a half hours ago. Dia wasn’t lonely, so she thought, but she really needed to talk to _someone_ right now.

She pulled open Hanamaru’s contact. She was usually up late reading, but Dia had no idea if she would actually bother checking her phone. Still, Dia figured she was her best bet. She sent a quick text:

_Are you awake?_

She checked all her old contacts. Kanan is better left alone, she thought. Chika would be asleep. Mari-

She paused. Mari would be awake right now. She’s all the way out in Italy still, but... No. It would be unseemly of her to ask for her company after not speaking with her for so long.

She continued on with a sigh. You is out to sea, probably busy. Yoshiko wouldn’t be any help at all. Riko has a concert tomorrow. Ruby-

Before Dia has a chance to finish her thought, her phone buzzes and a text notification rolls in from the top.

> _Yes i’m awake zura_

Dia felt relieved. She wasn’t alone for now. Another message pops up beneath the first.

> _Are you getting some rain too?_
> 
> _We are, it’s quite relaxing._

Dia begins typing another response; _How is that new novel-_ But she’s cut off by another message from Hanamaru.

> _I still can’t believe this whole smartphone thing!  
>  It’s the future right in my hands! _
> 
> _You’re so far away but i can talk to you like  
>  you’re right here _

Dia’s mouth crooks into a v-shaped smile. 

> _Maru, you’ve had this phone for years, stop  
>  being so silly. _
> 
> _I know i know zura_
> 
> _It just always seems to cheer you up is all_

Dia’s smile wanes.

> _What do you mean?_
> 
> _I mean you never text me this late unless you’re  
>  sad so I figured that’s what was up _

Dia stared at that last message for a while. Hanamaru always could read her better than anyone since Kanan and Mari drifted away... She sighed and typed out another message. _I miss you and Ruby and Mari and Kanan all of Aquors so much._

She stopped, thumb hovering over send. Then, a tear forming in her eye, she holds backspace and types out something else instead.

> _I have barely enough yen for rent this month._
> 
> _Its still so weird to hear a kurosawa talk about  
>  money problems wwww _
> 
> _Still dont want to ask your folks?_
> 
> _I promised myself that I could make it on my own,  
>  and I fully intend to do so. _
> 
> _Then you need another way to make money  
>  because the cafe obviously isnt enough zura _
> 
> _Have you considered doing any idol stuff  
>  again maybe _
> 
> _Of course not, that whole business is childish  
>  _ _and hardly befitting of a lady of my age._
> 
> _I hope sarah doesnt hear you saying that www_
> 
> _Look, you know what I mean!_
> 
> _You mean you miss it but you dont want to  
>  admit it _

Dia paused again. She felt that tear rolling down her cheek.

> _I don’t want to talk about this right now._
> 
> _Ok sorry to push_
> 
> _Hey call me tomorrow after work?_
> 
> _I will. Goodnight, Maru-chan._
> 
> _Goodnight Diachan_

Unable to hold back her mounting emotions, Dia burst into tears. She sobbed softly into her pillow for a while, but it isn’t too long before sleep took her.


	2. Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dia has a shower, goes to work, and has a chat with Leah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're just jumping into this chapter from the last, you may notice I've switched to using honorifics. I went back and retconned chapter 1 to include them as well.

The sun peeked in through Dia’s window, pouring light onto her face. She scrunched her eyes closed tightly, then plied herself off her pillow and yawned. She checked the clock by her bed and sighed as she saw it was just before 8. “Work in an hour,” she said to herself with a sigh. “No time to dwell, I have to get-” she interrupted herself with a second yawn. “-get to work.”

A few moments later, clad in a comfy red nightgown, she stumbled out of her bedroom and into the bathroom just across the hall. She examined the mess that was her long black hair. She’d forgotten to tie it up last night in her haze. She made a note to be extra thorough with her brushing as she stripped down and climbed into the shower.

The cold water from the showerhead gave Dia shivers, which turned into a melty sigh of satisfaction as the temperature rose to steaming-hot. She felt the tension in her aching shoulders melt away, and she slowly, lovingly, sang one of her old Aquors songs to herself.

_...”This moonlit night, I grow restless inside _ _  
_ _ For a beat, that stirs up my soul _ _  
_ _ The words on my lips _ _  
_ _ Are so fearless _ _  
_ _ Because of you, I don't want to hide _

_ These feelings of mine grow too quickly _ _  
_ _ But I don't quite understand... _ _  
_ _ Reasoning is just too much to bear... _ _  
_ _ I just want to rest in your hand~”... _

As she stepped out of the shower to dry her hair, Dia was shocked to hear Sarah’s voice come from the other side of the bathroom door. “Manatsu wa Dare no Mono,” she said. “I haven’t heard that one in a while.”

Dia yelped and held onto her towel, despite having a door between herself and this sudden intrusion. “S-Sarah-saaan?! Were you listening to me?”

A sigh from the other side. “I couldn’t help it. Your voice is... I have to say, even all these years, I’m a little jealous of it.”

“Well, help yourself next time! I mean,” Dia stumbled over her words, “I mean don’t listen in on someone’s private moments!”

“Private? Dia-chan, you sang that song on stage for thousands of people,” Sarah sighed in exasperation. “What do you mean, private?”

“It’s...! It’s just, that...” Dia paused for a moment. “...I need to go to work soon,” she continued, all the outrage from her voice having deflated into something close to melancholy. “But I have something I want to talk to you about. Can we meet up later, at Goryokaku park?”

There was a short pause, followed by a soft sigh from Sarah. “Our usual spot, yes?” Sarah’s voice seems much softer now. “I’ll be waiting there, then.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course. I’m off to get some shopping done, until then. Have a good day at the café.”

“Y-yeah. See you there,” Dia said, waving to the closed door.

* * *

The rest of Dia’s morning was spent in near-complete autopilot. So much so, in fact, she found herself surprised when she snapped out of her trance, already approaching the maid café. She checked herself quickly to make sure she didn’t miss anything in the haze.

Her red dress, frilly white apron, and headband were all there. Her hair, put up in two perfect buns, wrapped in frilly white silken bun covers. She quickly checked her bag, and was relieved to find everything she needed inside.

The bell above the door jingled as Dia entered the café. Customers were already around, scattered about the booth tables and the kotatsu on the floor. 

Almost immediately, Dia bumped into Leah Kazuno. Dia didn’t know Sarah’s little sister well outside of work, but she knew that Ruby was close to her. Leah seemed quite busy this morning, with several meals on her serving plate. She shot Dia a glare that made her shiver, then guided her eyes to the clock.

9:45. Nearly an hour late. Dia grimaced, then rushed to go and clock in. Once she got back onto the floor, still feeling the tension, she was shocked to hear Leah’s voice from behind her. 

“Very irresponsible of you, Dia-kun,” Leah teased, though venom hung in her voice. The younger Kazuno sister may have been Dia’s junior by 2 years, but she was still her boss at the café.

Dia spun on her heel, a pout on her face, a finger in the air as if to say something. Leah’s glare once again met her as she turned, and she realized she had no way to bluster out of this one. She deflated with a long sigh, followed by a respectful bow. “Yes, Kazuna-sama. Very sorry.”

“I figured you would be, Dia-kun. Don’t worry, your boss covered for you,” Leah smugged smugfully. “I’ve been handling your section. You shouldn’t keep your customers waiting any longer than they have, yeah?” The contrasting playfulness and anger twinging her voice left Dia struggling to process if she was in trouble or not. 

This confusion was dashed when Leah stepped in uncomfortably close, and her voice dropped into a quiet growl; “We’ll talk later.” The frustration on her face was plain to see for the briefest moment, before Leah’s eyes lit back up and her cutesy smile returned to her face. She even giggled a little as she went back out to the floor.

There was a brief, awkward silence as Dia stood stunned, perhaps a little scared. Leah’s act in the café was such a far cry from the girl Dia knew off the clock, and that dissonance never failed to disturb her. She shook herself off, sighed defeatedly, and went to check on her section.

* * *

By the time she arrived at her own section, Dia had put on an act of her own; one of a certain commanding elegance. A mask, she felt, she wore quite well. Better even than her own face, maybe.

One of Dia’s regulars, a high school girl named Nana, lit up when Dia finally arrived. “Ah! Kurosawa-san!” she called out.

Dia strode to Nana and bowed to her courteously, her hands crossed in front of her. “I apologize for my lateness, Nana-san.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, Kurosawa-san,” Nana said with a shy smile. “I’m just happy that I could see you this morning.”

“You flatter me, as always, Nana-san,” Dia chirped. “But I must insist I do something for you to make up for my tardiness. Is there anything you’d need?”

“Yes, a refill of my coffee please?” Nana said, her shy smile broadening. She started up again, “And, um... Oh, nevermind,” she murmured, a bit of flush coming to her cheeks.

Dia took Nana’s cup and saucer. “Oh come now, Nana-san,” Dia scolded playfully, “You’ve come here nearly every day since I started, you know you can tell me anything.”

“...Are you sure?”

“Of course! Maybe take a moment to compose yourself while I attend to you. Will you have the usual?”

“Yes, please,” Nana said as she fidgeted with her fingers.

Dia swayed her hips just enough to cause the ruffles on her dress to pleasingly swing as she walked to get a fresh cup of coffee. It was a practiced stride, one meant to draw looks to herself, along with the flashiness of her lovely red clothes. It worked quite well; she felt eyes on her from all across the café.

She knew more than well that a lot of the customers here were just for her. More than the money, or the fun... or, ‘fun’, of working with the Kazuno sisters, that attention’s what kept her here. Even back when she was in Aquors, the raving fans, the lightblades in the crowd turning red just for her... It was bliss.

So it was no surprise that Nana’s eyes were, too, locked onto Dia as she sashayed back towards her table. She placed Nana’s coffee back down in front of her with a confident grin and said, “Here you go, Nana-san. Enjoy.”

“Ah, I certainly have,” mumbled Nana, before catching herself and turning beet red. She waved her hands near her face as she tried to explain herself. “I mean! I will! I will enjoy! The coffee!”

Dia’s smile widened. She put a finger on her chin, just below her beauty mark, and said, “Oh, I’m sorry, Nana-san, I didn’t intend to fluster you. Now, what was it you wanted to say to me?

“Oh, I um. I just wanted to say, you uh...” Nana trailed off. She pressed her two index fingers together and averted her eyes. “I just wanted to say, you look gorgeous today.”

And Dia’s heart soared.

* * *

Leah and Dia largely avoided each other’s sections of the café for the remainder of the morning. Despite her problems last night and this morning, Dia felt in her stride. She had all these people here, just for her, after all! How could she ever be lonely like this?

...Once that thought crossed her mind, though, it stuck to it. It grew within her over the next few hours, even as her showy service never once faltered. When it was her time to take lunch, though; when she went to the Kazuno house attached to the café, and she sat down to enjoy a pastry and some coffee, that’s when the thought truly took hold.

That attention she craved, she could get it through these people that know nearly nothing about her. They came for her looks, for her style, for her elegant flair, and she loved it. Maybe if she could figure out how to get more of that, she thought, maybe she wouldn’t have to feel so bad when-

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the sliding door opening behind her. She looked back to see Leah entering the room, tousling her plum-colored pigtails. 

“Ah, Dia-kun. Just the girl I wanted to talk to,” Leah said as she shook the soreness out of her legs.

Dia huffed. “You said you wanted to speak to me, Kazuno-sama?”

Leah paused for a beat. “...You do know if you weren’t my sister’s friend, I’d be outright firing you for this morning, yeah?”

Dia said nothing. She could feel the color drain out of her cheeks.

“...I thought so. Aside from that, you’re one of the best girls in the café. A lot of people show up just to see you, and leaving them waiting is a bad look, Kurosawa-san.” Leah had dropped the teasing. Dia knew she was in pretty big trouble here.

Continuing on, Leah laid it out plain. “You’re late one more time, and you’re out. I’ve run out of patience. Understand?”

“Y-yes, Kazuno-sama,” Dia choked out.

“Good.”

A pregnant pause filled the room. The silence bore down on Dia like an ocean, and it was all she could do to not collapse under its weight. She jumped a little when Leah suddenly added, “...I am going to be honest with you, Kurosawa-san. I was excited to work with you here. Ruby-chan always talks so highly of you, and I had figured you’d only gotten better since Aquors.

“But now I see this isn’t the case. You’ve slipped, and you’ve fallen far. It pains me to say it, and it’s all I can do to pretend to our customers and to your sister that you’re still the beacon you once were.

“So for my sake, and your own,” Leah says sharply as she heads back for the café floor, “Pull yourself together." 


End file.
